FBI searching home of missing girl in Richardson

Wesley Mathews told police that about 15 minutes after putting Sherin outside, he checked on her and noticed she was gone. He told police he searched the immediate area around his house but couldn't find her.

Author:
Hannah Davis and Jobin Panicker , WFAA

Published:
8:48 AM CDT October 11, 2017

RICHARDSON, Texas -- Four days after 3-year-old Sherin Mathews was reported missing, much of the attention Tuesday was on her family home.

In the afternoon, an attorney from McKinney identified as Gregg Gibbs, spent close to an hour at the home. The attorney had no comment on who he was representing or whether he was representing anyone.

Shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers executed another search warrant. It started with a few Richardson officers walking in and out of the front door.

Sherin's father, Wesley Mathews, who adopted Sherin last summer, was the last person to see her. He faces charges of child endangerment and has since bonded out. A friend of the family says Wesley and his wife were not in the home.

Just before 7 p.m. FBI agents had arrived. More than a dozen members of the Evidence Response Team met on the front lawn. For the first time in four days, crime tape surrounded the home, including a portion of the alley behind their home.

One FBI Evidence team moved inside the home and another team stayed outside. They canvassed the front yard thoroughly. Agents walked side by side looking down on the front lawn.

Meanwhile, neighbors looked on, a mix of concern and curiosity.

"I've never seen anything like that in 14 years. Normally you see this on the news," said neighbor Mahbub Hossain.

Hossain is a bit startled by all this. He along with many others just hope the investigation reveals what most are hoping to know.

"I wish we knew what happened to the girl. We're worried about her life," a neighbor said.

Richardson police called Tuesday's executed search warrant a "natural progression of the investigation." The search was over by Wednesday, and police and FBI agents will now focus on combing through evidence collected.

Wesley Mathews

Wesley was arrested after telling officers he forced his daughter to go outside and stand next to a tree in an alley behind their home because she wouldn't drink her milk.

An Amber Alert was issued, but it was discontinued due to a shortage of leads and information, police say.

Police say Mathews told them that about 15 minutes after putting Sherin outside, he checked on her and noticed she was gone. He told police he searched the immediate area around his house but couldn't find her.

He says he went inside and did laundry, hoping she would return.

During his interview, he mentioned that he saw coyotes in the alley where he left his daughter. The family's home also backs up to railroad tracks, he said.

Two minivans taken from the family's home are being examined. Police say they're still trying to establish a timeline and are still searching around the neighborhood.

Sherin was last seen wearing a pink top and black pajama bottoms. If you have any information, call Richardson PD.